Posted on 02/02/2011 9:16:42 AM PST by grace522
Since 1995 the average mathematics score for fourth-graders jumped 11 points. At this rate we catch up with Singapore in a little over 80 years . . . assuming they don’t improve.” – Norman R. Augustine, retired CEO of Lockheed Martin
Let’s keep that quote from a recent George Will column in mind as the school choice debate unfolds.
***** Even in a bad housing market, if someone were to initially offer his home at the lowest acceptable price, he would be called an idiot. And rightly so.
Likewise, negotiators never come to the table with their bottom line proposal. Doing so would be pointless — obviously — since they would be leaving themselves no negotiating room.
It’s Business 101: you set the bar high, and work downward, if need be. It doesn’t get any simpler.
Which makes the current school choice bill in the State Senate, SB 1, all the more puzzling. Since true choice would be made available only to low-income students, and that’s after a three-year phase-in, the bill would be almost totally ineffectual, affecting an extremely small number of primarily urban students.
Given that Pennsylvania students rank near the bottom in several important categories, such as SAT scores, the only way to right the ship is to enact a statewide, comprehensive school choice program. Since choice only works if the vast majority of students and schools are able to participate, and there seem to be the votes for that type of program, why the bar is being set so artificially low remains a mystery.
But a good bet is that sponsors Jeff Piccola (R) and Anthony Williams (D) simply didn’t do their homework on the makeup of the new legislature, choosing to dust off an old bill rather than craft a better, more inclusive one.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.phillymag.com ...
School choice=public housing choice.
Given that Pennsylvania students rank near the bottom in several important categories, such as SAT scores, the only way to right the ship is to enact a statewide, comprehensive school choice program.
Given that PA has some of the most restrictive homeschool laws in the nation, I don’t see any meaningful school choice reform. I personally know of more than 10 homeschooling families, that would have raised the average sat scores, that left the state for educational freedom.
>>School choice=public housing choice.<<
Would you please explain that further?
Government schools=government housing.
Cheese is cheese.
Section 8, government school ‘choice’, Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum.
Government ‘School Choice’ is just the newest Soviet style, Five Year Plan. Boob bait that think government paid, government run, government hired will ever equal innovation, high quality at ever lower costs.
So?
We currently have a Soviet-style public education system, 200% govt monopoly with NO market or choice incentives at all.
School choice is to public education monopolies,
as food stamps is to a Soviet collective farm.
I’ll take the food stamps over the Soviet collective farm.
You have it wrong, because choice schools are *NOT* ‘government hired’ or run.
The defeatist attitude on school choice has been a problem, and that includes the defeatism that assumes it doesnt change the system, when it does.
Sure.
Entire teacher training from Yale and Harvard leftist to fifth rate schools of education, 99% government funded, paid, leftist and of course government paid, soon to be ever more government controlled, pseudo free thought choice schools.
Mental and intellectual development should no more be in the hands, control, finance of government then should spiritual development.
At best, for now, I might support a tax credit for expenses. Maybe not even that.
I am a enemy of public schools in all forms. We’d be a better country with out them.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.